Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average amount of time served of a sentence of imprisonment was (a) in total and (b) by (i) male and (ii) female offenders for (A) violence against the person offences and (B) each other category of offence in each of the last three years.

The table attached gives the mean and median average period spent in custody by males and females released from determinate sentences of imprisonment between 2016 and 2018, by category of the main offence for which they were serving the sentence.

Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose the courts take into account the circumstances of the offence and any mitigating and aggravating factors, in line with the sentencing guidelines – which are issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The sentencing framework and sentencing guidelines apply equally to all offenders.

Men tend to serve longer in prison and there are a number of factors which help to explain why this is. Principally, men tend to be convicted of more serious offending which attracts longer custodial sentences, including extended determinate sentences, where release is at the two thirds point of the sentence rather than half way. This in turn means that women are more likely to be eligible for early release under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme, which allows release up to 135 days before the halfway point of the sentence and is limited to offenders sentenced to less than four years. Those serving extended determinate sentences are excluded. In addition, the data in these tables also includes time served following recall to prison from licenced supervision. Recalled men tend to be serving longer sentences (12 months or more) and will generally serve longer after recall than recalled women, who tend to be serving less than 12 months.